Hi there...I own a 1982 F150 truck with a 300, 2 wheel drive, I don't have the owner's manual and I don't know much about engines. But I'm thinking about buying a camper, what's the most weight I'd be able to pull? I don't want to end up buying a camper that's way to heavy for the truck.

There's trailer campers out there that weights 2000 lbs, 3000 lbs, 4,000 lbs, and so on forth. Also, it's going to be a hitch type, what would you recommend for the tongue weight? Between 250-400 lbs?

Please give me some info please! My wife is bugging me to get a camper to take the kids out camping! I'd like to but I'd want to make sure I get the right kind, knowing what is my truck's limit, not wanting to hurt the truck...getting an idea what kind of camper I'm looking for...

Thanks in advance!

 

Marc,
There are several things to consider here. First, what gear are you running in the rear end? Is your tranny auto or manual? If manual is it overdrive? What kinda condition is the engine in? The 300 six is a torque monster and great for pulling.......IF you are geared right and it's in good condition. I have an 85 F150 4x4 and have towed campers and boats with it. I'm geared 3.08 with an overdrive tranny...(not the best towing combo Ford ever built). With my 300 six in it would tow, but had problems getting something moving (like a boat outta water) mainly cause it's geared so high. Long hills are no fun either. The biggest camper weighed in at 4800 lbs with 300 lb tongue weight. To tow that you need a load leveling hitch such as a Reese hitch. We finally bought the biggest pop-up (tent camper) we could find that weighs about 1500 lbs loaded and have been tickled to death with it. I just finished a 300 six to a 351W swap and know I am gonna love the way this thing tows on the open road. Getting all that weight moving though is still gonna be a chore since my gearing is the same. I guess to best answer you....in my opinion.....if you're geared as high as I am.....under 2,000 lbs shouldnt be a problem. If you're looking at bigger....say 3 to 4,000 lbs.....the 300 six will handle it if you have enough gear and the right kind of hitch. I'm thinkin the gear for that should be in the 3.73 or lower range. Sorry this was so long and I hope it helps a bit.

Ron

 

Ron,

No, no, it's not long! You're explaining to me. That's good! Boy, I didn't know all this. Now, where can I find out what's the gear ratio? Is there a number I could read of off the on the rear end? If so, where!?

Also yeah, it's an automatic. I'd say the engine is in pretty good condition. I've only driven it for about 3 months now, I'd put in a newer radiator, works great!

Would it be better if I was going to shift in lower gear, like 1, then as I go in higher speeds, shifting into 2nd, as I'm approaching in between 40-50 miles an hour, shifting in overdrive, the (D)? I'm trying to see if there was a method to make it easier on the engine, if I have a high gear ratio...Does it hurt the tranny if I do that? Is it better when you shift it?

Hope you can help me out finding out what's the gear on my truck..

As you were saying about the right kind of hitch, well, that's where I'm a bit confused, there's an hitch on there, on the bumber as it is on most trucks and there'd been 2 different ball size on them, (it'd been that way when I got it, I assumed that it'd been used to tow before) there's 1 7/8, and 2" ball mounted on hitch, well, meaning the hitch, I meant, the ball is mounted on the plate, along with the bumber. As it did when it came out new...back in 1982.

You mean, getting a different type of a hitch like you were saying before a Reese hitch, that's like a bar that's been bolted to the frame, right? See, that's the part I'm a bit confused, I don't see the difference there, between the Reese and the bumber hitch, only difference I can think of is that the reese hitch would be a slightly lower than the bumber hitch.

Anyhow, seeing the ***** there on the bumber, that tells me that it'd been towing something heavy before. So, I think I found a camper that size that my wife would like, shows empty weight 4,299 lbs, while showing the gross weight 6,868 lbs, and the hitch weight is 392 lbs. Here's the url to see the web that shows all the specfications:

http://www.gagscamperway.com/rv/new/59533-0.htm

Would my truck be ok to to pull the camper? Please respond today..my wife is really bugging me about this...

Thanks!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 17-Apr-02 AT 01:47 PM (EST)]Marc,
Let's take this one question at a time and see if we can figure out how to help you.

"Now, where can I find out
>what's the gear ratio? Is there a number I could read of off
>the on the rear end? If so, where!? "

On the driver's door frame there is a tag showing the particulars of your truck. It will have a code for axle. My truck is at home and so I don't have the owners manual but the codes are deciphered in the owner's manual. If you post the code for your axle here we'll get it figured out somehow.

">Would it be better if I was going to shift in lower gear,
>like 1, then as I go in higher speeds, shifting into 2nd, as
>I'm approaching in between 40-50 miles an hour, shifting in
>overdrive, the (D)? I'm trying to see if there was a method
>to make it easier on the engine, if I have a high gear
>ratio...Does it hurt the tranny if I do that? Is it better
>when you shift it? "

The automatic tranny will do fine doing all the work. It knows best when a shift is needed. But Ford and all the other automakers will warn you NOT TO TOW IN OVERDRIVE. In most cases this isn't a problem cause you couldn't anyway. Tow as if you were driving around town and didn't want the tranny shifting into and out of OD....in other words, whatever your drive selector uses to keep you in 3rd gear and out of OD. There are exceptions to this "no shifting" rule and that being a loooooooong hill where the tranny is constantly shifting from 2nd to 3rd and back. In this case I'd move the selector to 2nd, slow down a bit to keep from over revving...and climb the hill. Then shift back to 3rd.


"See, that's the part I'm a bit
>confused, I don't see the difference there, between the
>Reese and the bumber hitch, only difference I can think of
>is that the reese hitch would be a slightly lower than the
>bumber hitch."

I'm not sure but I think I remember a tongue weight max. on the bumper of 200 lbs. A load leveling hitch is attached to the frame and uses torsion bars to distribute the weight of the tongue along the frame of your truck. If the hitch you have now is attached just to the bumper I would definitely go with a frame mounted one for several reasons. First the truck and trailer will ride level, which is a lot more important than it sounds. You lose part of your steering ability when too much weight is on the back tires and not enough on the front. Secondly, when you hit bumps in the road, if the weight is all on the tongue the truck is sure to bounce up and down (and probably bottom out the springs/shocks)......your truck's springs and shocks are taking all the abuse of the truck and the camper. It's like trying to control a bucking horse. Do that in a curve and you'll learn what "white knuckle driving" is all about. Trust me on this one, I've been there. Also tracking in a curve.....with the right hitch properly adjusted it's like driving a sports car. The 4 wheels on your truck and the 4 on the camper are all working together. With a bumper hitch you'll have sway and your truck is going in one direction and the camper another. NOT FUN!!
Bottom line on this one is......it's your truck, your camper....but most of all it's your life and your family's. To me you don't take chances with that. And to be honest if you go see that RV dealer and buy this camper, tell him you want a load leveling hitch installed as part of the deal. I did with my big camper and even though he howled about it he did it.

">Anyhow, seeing the ***** there on the bumber, that tells me
>that it'd been towing something heavy before."

Maybe the other guy was lucky......

"Here's the url to see
>the web that shows all the specfications:
>
>http://www.gagscamperway.com/rv/new/59533-0.htm"

Very nice camper.....but I wouldn't trust the dealers opinion of what would pull it. Remember this.......it doesn't take a lot to pull something heavy. Ever watched the world's strongest men competition? They pull locomotives. What you don't see is one trying to stop something heavy. I used to work for a Ford dealer that also sold RV's. We had more than our share of camper rigs come in with a really nice (and fairly heavy) camper pulled by something like a Ranger/S10 pickup or a mini-van. The worst I ever saw was an S10 that had lost control on I-85 when an 18 wheeler passed it. It got to fishtailing, the driver paniced and hit their brakes. The truck flipped causing the camper to break loose. The roof of the cab on the truck was ground completely through and both occupants ended up in the hospital. Don't mean to scare ya....but it's better to be safe.

Ron

 

4300 isn't too bad, 6400 is getting a little heavy. I tow a 3250 lb race car on about a 12-1400 lb trailer and it handles fine. I even have about 300 lbs of tool in the back. I have no brakes on the trailer, so you need to have good ones on the truck and allow time to stop or switch lanes. I would definately put on the frame mounted hitch. Be careful with the load levelers though. Many of them say they do not work with surge brakes and you need to check and see if your trailer comes with surge brakes. You can also help your towing by replacing your F150 rear leaf springs with a set from an F250...or at least get a decent set of helper springs from a local auto shop (they're sometimes called load levelers also). Get the biggest you can find and they are pretty easy to put on. Or, for an '82, at least get new leaf springs, the old ones have seen a lot of bouncing!!! I think a great setup (but somewhat expensive) would be the air bag springs with a built in compressor...I'd love to try that system...

I began towing with a 2.73 open rear and a 300 and it towed fine. It just took a little longer to get up to speed. I still have the same truck, but it now has a 351W and a 3.55 posi and it is awesome!!!

Another consideration is to put in a tranny cooler. The extra towing will add heat and stress to the transmission and nothing kills a tranny quicker than heat. So for $50, put in an extra cooler and save your tranny...

Check out the trailering brakes and that will help a lot with the panic stops and keeping control of everything in tow.

Happy Camping!!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 17-Apr-02 AT 02:47 PM (EST)]Good point about the tranny cooler. Very low cost insurance.
Good point too about the surge brakes, although I have never seen a camper with that type of braking system. All I have seen come with electric drum brakes. That's something worth checking Marc.

I guess why I am so negative on the towing setup is that my 3.08 combined with the tall manual tranny my truck has sucked when it came to towing anything over 2,000 lbs. Third gear for me is close to a 1:1 ratio.

Ron

 

Just looked at the trailer you're thinking about and it looks great. It should have the electric brakes and that will be a big help. Definately do as much as you can with leveling the load with the hitch and springs, it will tow soooo much better. And make sure you have the correct tow height...the truck should remain level to maintain weight distribution on all 4 wheels and the trailer tongue should be level and not running up or down hill...that will maximize your control at highway speeds...you may need to play with the type of receiver to get the correct towing height off your hitch...

 

Ron, Silk,

Thanks for replying so quick.

Ron, thanks for answering each question...sorry about that.

Just so happens I'd driven my truck to work today. I went out quick and saw the tag on the side. Here's what I found, boy, it was hard to make it out, it's almost really worn out, barely could see the rest of others, Front GAWR and Rear GAWR, with numbers and some lbs. But I did make out the "GVWR" which is "5450" lbs. And for the Trans, it's "K" meaning it's I guess an automatic. And Axle is "H3" , and another one I couldn't figure what this out, DSO means what? Then it says after DSO is "B".

I hope it's enough for you guys to tell me something.

I didn't realize how important to really even out the "load", putting the weight on the center of the frame of the truck. Gee. :-X23
I will try to haggle the guy into putting on a hitch as part of the deal, I may have to spend a little more money on it..but it's better save than sorry..you're right.

Say Silk, when I changed the radiator a couple weeks ago, I switched it from an different truck that I have for parts, the one before had a small crack that I couldn't fix with a radiator stop leak product, so I switched it. Anyhow, it was so identicle, same radiator, transmission lines going in through the radiator, is that what you're talking about? Or are you talking adding another type of a cooler that you add underneath? I'm no mechanic, (chuckling), I'm learning this as I go along with it. Is there a web site of "how to" to add a cooler to the tranny? So I can get the idea.

Where can I find a good set of leaf springs for my truck? My father-in-law has a '86 Ford F150 truck that's sitting there for at least 5 years..motor's shot, but it's a 4 wheel drive, is there some shocks or springs that I could take off and put it on my '82 truck? Or would it be better just to get some new ones? How much are they? What's the price range?

As for the surge brakes, I'll check. I'll also check the electric braking system too Ron.

Thanks for helping through this! I'll be waiting to hear the gear ratio on this one Ron..

I'll find out more about this camper. I'll let you guys know what's on the camper, I'm sure I'll have so many questions later..

Thanks!

 

Ok guys, we need some help. I'm at work and don't have access to axle codes here. What is an H3 axle in an 82 F100?

As for the different kinda brakes Marc, the camper will have one or the other, most likely electric. Both systems have regular drum type brakes on the wheels. The difference is that electric brakes work off an electric signal from a controller that is mounted in your truck. (Another little item you might try to get the dealer to spring for). Surge brakes work off hydraulics mounted to the tongue of the trailer. When you apply your truck brakes the weight of the trailer pushes against the surge brake causing it to send fluid to operate the brakes on the camper. Slik is right when he says this wont work with a load leveling hitch cause the torsion bars in effect make one continuous link from the trailer tongue to your truck frame. There is almost NO room for movement and certainly not enough to let surge brakes work. While you probably won't have to worry about this, consider it your "learned something new" today trivia. LOL

Hang in there.....tell mama to hold on till we figure out just what kinda camper you need.

Ron

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 17-Apr-02 AT 07:06 PM (EST)]Just got home and pulled out my 85 owners manual. The H3 axle code for an 85 (and since 80 to 86 are basically the same truck I am guessing they should all be the same)says the axle is a 4.11 rear (you lucky dog). Gross combined weight (truck and trailer) is rated at 7800 lbs for my old setup versus a whopping 11,000 lbs for you with an automatic tranny and those gears.

So my friend.....go for it. Your truck should pull Hell off it's hinges geared like that with the 300 six.

Also from my owner's manual, I was correct on the tongue weight for a bumper mounted hitch (or a ball mounted on the bumper). 200 lbs is the max tongue weight and 2,000 lbs the max trailer weight for that sorta hitch. The previous owner might have towed something with it but without knowing what I wouldn't trust to having that same luck.

Finally, if you can find out for sure, I'd make sure the axle is what I have told you. There should be a metal tag on the rear end that has the gear ratio on it. You might can tell from that.

Tell the camper dealer you want a class III (three) hitch installed as well as the electric brake controller and all the wiring included with the deal. You can't pull the camper away from his place without having the truck wired and they may as well do the hitch and brake controller for you anyway. Most dealers have all this in stock or can get it. As much money as you will be paying for a new camper, he should be willing to cut you some slack on the stuff you HAVE to have to tow with.

Good luck and enjoy your rig!!

Ron

 

"Or are you talking adding another type of a cooler that you add underneath? I'm no mechanic, (chuckling), I'm learning this as I go along with it. Is there a web site of "how to" to add a cooler to the tranny? So I can get the idea."

Hes not the only one who isn't a mechanic. I'd like some info on transmission coolers, and how to install them. I had considered one, but I am not sure about the installation, etc. Any help I would appreciate! Thanks.

 

A tranny cooler is nothing more than a small radiator that mounts in front of your other radiator and carries transmission fluid through it to cool the fluid. Most will come with some sort of brackets that will allow you to mount them to your specific application. Depending on your situation, you may need to drain the main radiator and remove it first. With mine I can just remove the top two bolts and lean it back enough to get a cooler in front, but I have an electric fan on mine so I save a lil bit of room on the front of the engine. Either way mounting the cooler should be fairly simple. Your transmission lines run from the tranny to the original radiator. All you need do is remove them and connect them to the cooler using the hoses provided. It's been a long time since I did one and things might have changed but I just used a tubing cutter and cut the fittings off the lines and clamped the hoses from the cooler to the tranny lines.
I can see you thinkin....."why do I need this when the tranny fluid already goes through a radiator?" Simply because that radiator is already heated by coolant from the engine. Anything passed through it can't dissipate heat but so far. But fluid passing through a radiator that has no other source of heat and is therefore cooler will dissipate heat much faster.....keeping your tranny happy.

Class dismissed!!
Ron

 

Thanks, Ron! That helped out alot. One question.. if transmission fluid isnt running through my radiator, but through a seperate cooler, would the radiator be more efficient as well without the hot transmission fluid running through it as well? That would be great, my truck tends to run a little on the warm side, :P Will change the thermostat soon, after I find out why my mom's Taurus almost blew up.. it ran soooo hot, fluid had dislodged the radiator cap just from the pressure and steaming hot boiling radiator fluid was just gushing out... wow, what a damn shame.. after I flushed the radiator and changed the water pump and fixed the circuit the fan ran to, it still does it.. thermostat Im guessing..

James

 

I hooked my cooler up in series, so it would go through BOTH the radiator transmission tank and the EXTRA Transmission cooling unit.
Before going back to the tranny.


[b][i][font color=red]Dennis[/font][i][b]

[font color=red]Calgary,Alberta,Canada[/font]
http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Minimorleytruck.JPG

http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/FordTruckCodes.html

[font color=red]If New Ford Parts Is What You're Cravin',
Then Buy Them HERE,At Motorhaven!

[/font]


http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Mil1ion.html

[font color =red] Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions,
"I'm Saving My Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's" [/font]


[font color=blue]78 F-150 429CJ,Silver,Explorer Pkg.
641/2-Mustang 260,Pre-World's Fair Car.
64-Fairlane500 S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang 289-Sunlit Gold 80,892Mi
78-Buick LeSabre 403 4V
84 Volvo DL Wagon [/font]

 

Whether it would make a difference in how your main radiator works or not I can't say. It'd cut down on the amount of work it would have to do but honestly I don't know enough about how much heat is added from the tranny to answer you here. As I said it's been some time (17 years) since I needed a tranny cooler (my truck is a 3 sp w/OD). Any amount of heat that you can remove is bound to help some, but the more I read and look at these the more I see people doing them like Mil1ion says, using the cooler along with the stock setup. There has to be a good reason for all these folks doing it this way.

Ron